While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, this advice is of a general nature to help guide further research and enquiries. Produced by 100% Renewables Pty Ltd, Oct 2018.

Renewable Energy Solutions for SONJA,owner/occupier of a HouSe

Smart Energy Future

SonJa wanTS To:• Lower her electricity bills• Use clean energy• Have more control over her energy use and supply

currenT opporTuniTieS: • InstallsolarPVontheroof–itiscosteffectiveand

adds value to the home. Even when half of the energy produced is exported to the grid, the payback is under fiveyears.

• Have information ready for a solar PV installation, such as photographs of the switchboard and electricity meter, as well as a copy of the electricity bill.

• Install solar hot water or a heat pump to heat water andconsiderswitchingawayfromoff-peakhotwaterto allow water to be heated by solar PV during the day.

• Invest in community renewables• Install a heat pump (reverse cycle air conditioner) for

heating, which also works in the shade.• Purchase renewable energy• Switch to carbon neutral electricity• Purchase an electric vehicle and charge it using

renewable energy• Fully electrify the house and power through solar PV

(refer to the MyEfficientElectricHome Facebook page)• According to ‘Your Green Guide Residential Real

Estate 2018’ by PRDnationwide and QUT, the median house price of properties with sustainability features like solar panels is at least 10% higher than houses without recorded sustainability features.

near fuTure opporTuniTieS:• Increase the size of the solar array and install battery

storage – more than 400 new batteries are being installed in Australia every week with numbers increasing exponentially. Innovative solutions are improving the business case even further.

• Sellsurplusrenewableenergy(e.g.viapeer-to-peerenergy trading or solar energy aggregators operating in the national electricity market)

oTHer coST SaVinG opporTuniTieS:• Change old lights to LED with smart controls• Alwaysimproveefficiencyofbuildingbeforeinstalling

solar electricity• Adoptenergyefficientpracticeswhenoperating

appliances and equipment• North Sydney Council will pay for energy audit to

determine best options (for local LGA)• Undertake passive energy saving measures like

insulation, shading, window coverings, and draught proofing

wHo can HeLp SonJa? • Solar PV:

Reputable solar PV installer (e.g. approved by the Clean Energy Council)

• Financing:Mostmajorretailersoffer$0upfrontundera power purchase agreement (PPA) with savings comparedwithstandardrates,plusfeed-intariffbenefitsbelongtothehomeowner

• Community renewables: Contact groups such as Community Power Australia, ClearSky Solar Investments, Enova or Solar Cloud

• Incentivising renewable energy on an international scale: Solutions like SolarCoin, NRGcoin

• Purchasing renewables: Community renewables are explained in this article. GreenPower can be purchased through electricity retailers or other providers such as Climate Chest (GreenPower® is tax deductible if purchased through a community organisation such as Climate Chest)

• Carbon neutral electricity suppliers such as Energy Australia, Powershop, Energy Locals

• Energyefficiencymeasures: Reputable products and installers, energy ratings of appliances

• Independent assistance: Our Energy Future helpline: 1300 339 915 Council’s sustainability team: 9936 8100, Council’s Green Events program, Renew Energy Consult

• CompareenergyoffersatEnergymadeeasy.gov.au • Compare the environmental performance of electricity

retailers at www.greenelectricityguide.org.au

Download these fact sheets on the “Smart Energy Future” homepage to be able to click on links directly.

HeLpfuL onLine inforMaTion:• Renew • Guide to comfortable and sustainable homes • Renew Economy online publication • ‘Your Green Guide Residential Real Estate 2018’

www.prd.com.au/research-hub/your-green-guide-residential-real-estate-2018/

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, this advice is of a general nature to help guide further research and enquiries. Produced by 100% Renewables Pty Ltd, Oct 2018.

www.northsydney.nsw.gov.au

Renewable Energy Solutions for SONJA,owner/occupier of a HouSe

Smart Energy Future

Did you know?• North Sydney Council uses renewable energy in many of its buildings because ofthecostbenefits,includingsolarelectricity,solarhotwaterandheatpumpsfor space heating and hot water.

• North Sydney Council purchases 50% GreenPower for its six largest sites.

• North Sydney Olympic Pool has heat pumps which deliver 750kW of renewable energy, costing half as much to run as gas boilers, and a 100kW solar hot water system for pool heating.

Solar and Batteries reward their users andprovidebenefitstothenationalelectricity network. Distributed generation increases grid resilience and reduces the need for network investment.

Electric cars can be charged and fuelled by solar electric panels, which uses local renewable energy rather than importing fossil fuels.

Renewable energy can be bought from any address.

Both reverse cycle air conditioning on heating mode and hot water heat pumps produce renewable energy from the outside air, both at night or in the shade.

If there is both gas and reverse cycle air conditioning available, using the air conditioner on heating mode will reduce heating costs by around one third, and reduce emissions.

Roof space is best dedicated to solar electric panels in preference to hot water systems, as the benefitswillbegreater.

100% renewable energy can be achieved by disconnecting from gas and switching all appliances to electricity powered from renewables.

Typically, in combination, rooftop solar electricity and hot water heat pumps deliver one of the cheapest hot water solutions. Storing solar energy in hot water systems is the cheapest method of energy storage.

Electricity from solar and wind farms is now cheaper than from new gas and coal-firedpowerplants.

In most cases, investing in renewable energy adds value to property.

Typically, over 10 years, solar PV costs are between half or a third of grid-suppliedenergycosts.

If the building is overshadowed, heat pumps for hot water and heating can be an option.